Life After Death
by KateCarter
Summary: There is life after death. Doomsday spoilers, TenRose, serious shipping going on. Due to popular  request, this has gone from a oneshot to a series!
1. Life After Death

Life After Death

By Kate Carter

Disclaimer: If "Doctor Who" was mine, this would have already been seen.

A/N: I apologize, but in order to get where I wanted, I had to include basically a transcript of the last scene in "Doomsday" (all right, the last Doctor/Rose scene, not the one where Donna suddenly appears) that made it a bit longer (a lot longer) than I intended. I, however, feel that it was well worth it, and I hope you feel the same.

Insane "Doomsday" spoilers, Ten/Rose, just like everything else I've done so far (I'll do something different eventually, I promise!)

Rose stared at the place where he'd been. Then the tears came, and there was no stopping them. She turned to see her family, and saw her mother running towards her. She ran to meet her, and they hugged, Rose clinging to her mother.

She didn't notice the jolt as her knees gave out and she hit the ground; she was too busy sobbing. Her father and Mickey joined them, crouching down onto the sandy beach, Mickey gripping her shoulder, her father rubbing her back, as her mother continued to hold her. They had the good sense not to bother whispering words of comfort; no silly platitudes, no "It'll be all rights" came from them. They knew that for Rose, things would never be all right again.

When the rift closed, she'd sobbed, and banged the wall, until a voice, a heartbreakingly familiar voice, seemed to whisper in the back of her mind. "Rose." She froze for a second, unable to believe it, and then she pressed her face to the wall. "Rose, I'm coming. I'll find a way. I'll get to you, I promise," he said in her mind, and she believed him, because he had never failed to keep his promises.

Pete took them to his new mansion, purchased after the Cybermen had attacked, and she spent the next two weeks staring off into space. Jackie had to remind her to eat, and once to take a shower. After half an hour in the shower though, Jackie began to fear that Rose had found a way to drown herself. She knocked on the door to the bathroom and slowly opened it. "Rose? You all right?" she asked cautiously. There was no answer. She warily opened the shower curtain, steeling herself for whatever she was about to see.

Rose was sitting in the corner of the shower, curled up into a fetal position, staring at the wall, where the spray from the shower was hitting the wall. "Rain," she said dully, as she watched it. "He kissed me for the first time in the rain."

Jackie shut off the water and got her a towel. "Come on, dear, let's go get some tea," she said quietly.

Three weeks after the rift had closed, Rose accepted the offer to work with Torchwood, although she refused to set foot in the room that had been used to transport them between the universes.

Six months after the rift had closed, Rose had a dream. Except, it wasn't a true dream, because those aren't real, those are just something your brain makes up. But the voice calling her name, telling her where to go, it wasn't made up. It was real. She believed it, and her parents and Mickey did too. They left that night, the love they had for her so strong that they didn't complain about packing up and leaving at three in the morning.

Four days later, they were there.

She stood on the beach, not knowing what to do next, when the slightest whisper drew her attention. And he was there. Transparent, but there. She knew he would be. "Where are you?" she asked; because it was pretty obvious he wasn't really there, where she'd hoped.

"Inside the TARDIS. There's one tiny little gap in the universe left, just about to close. And it takes a lot of power to send this projection, I'm in orbit around a supernova. I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye," he said with a little not-quite-half-laugh.

"You look like a ghost," Rose said quietly, still not believing.

"Hold on." He adjusted the sonic screwdriver, pointed it at something she couldn't see, and then he was there, solid, standing on the beach. His face was filled with sorrow, the saddest she'd ever seen it. There seemed to be a few more lines around his eyes, the eyes that had always been so old in such a young face. She walked forward and stopped, less than two feet away. "Can I…?" she asked hesitantly, reaching out for him. Before she could touch him, he shook his head. "I'm still just an image," he said sadly. "No touch."

"Can't you come through properly?" she asked plaintively. He shook his head. "The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse."

"So?" she asked. He smiled a bit at that. She sighed and looked away for a second. He looked at her, making sure his memory was right, and he knew every detail of her. She looked back at him, and for a second, they just watched each other. She was struggling not to cry.

"Where are we?" the Doctor finally said. "Where did the gap come out?"

"We're in Norway," Rose told him. He nodded his head a bit. "Norway, right."

"About fifty miles out of Bergen," she continued. "It's called 'Darlig Ulv Stranden.'"

"Dalek?" he asked, surprised. "Darlig," she corrected, with a hint of a smile. "It's Norwegian for 'bad.' This translates as 'Bad Wolf Bay,'" she said, laughing slightly. When she looked at him again, her eyes were filled with tears. "How long have you got?" she asked, her voice cracking. "About two minutes," he said. She ran her hand through her hair. "I can't think of what to say!"

He smiled and glanced down, also not knowing what to say. He looked behind her and saw her family. "You've still got Mr. Mickey, then," he commented. "There's five of us now," she told him. "Mum, Dad, Mickey…and the baby."

Shock filled his face. "You're not…?" he asked, for a horrible second leaping to the conclusion that she had forgotten him, or hadn't loved him the way he had her.

She shook her head and laughed a little. "No, it's Mum. She's three months gone. More Tylers on the way."

Relief filled him, although he didn't show it. "And what about you?"

"Yeah, I'm, I'm back working in the shop."

"Oh, good for you," he said blankly. That wasn't quite what he'd been expecting.

"Shut up," she told him, and had he actually been there, he would have received a whack on the arm for his trouble. "No, I'm not. See the Torchwood on this planet, it's open for business. I think I know a thing or two about aliens."

He smiled then, his pride in her filling his face. "Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth!" he said proudly. Her eyes were beginning to fill with tears again.

"You're dead. Officially, back home. So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're on the list of the dead." She glanced down again, and then back up at him, wiping away the tears that were beginning to leak out. "Here you are," he continued. "Living your life day after day. The one adventure I could never have," he said wistfully.

She lost the struggle to avoid crying. "Am I ever going to see you again?" she asked. He shook his head sadly. "You can't."

"What are you going to do?" she asked. _Without me?_

"Oh, I've got the TARDIS. Same old life, last of the Time Lords," he said, trying to make his tone as light as possible.

"On your own?" she asked, sniffing.

He didn't say anything, just nodded, but the look in his eyes told her _how can I ever replace you, Rose Tyler?_

Time was running out, she knew it, and she had to tell him, had to let him know. "I-" her voice broke. She took a breath and tried again. "I love you," she said, her voice wobbling all over the place.

"Quite right too," he said with a hint of his cheeky grin. It made her smile, which is what he'd wanted it to do.

"And, I suppose…if it's my last chance to say it…" He stared deeply into her eyes, his emotions coming through to his face. "Rose Tyler-"

And he was gone.

Rose stared at the place where he'd been. Then the tears came, and there was no stopping them. She turned to see her family, and saw her mother running towards her. She ran to meet her, and they hugged, Rose clinging to her mother.

She didn't notice the jolt as her knees gave out and she hit the ground; she was too busy sobbing. Her father and Mickey joined them, crouching down onto the sandy beach, Mickey gripping her shoulder, her father rubbing her back, as her mother continued to hold her. They had the good sense not to bother whispering words of comfort; no silly platitudes, no "It'll be all rights" came from them. They knew that for Rose, things would never be all right again.

And then she heard it.

The glorious, wonderful, heart-stopping sound that she had thought she would never hear again.

It was the TARDIS.

She froze for a second, pulled herself back up onto her feet, and stared in shock as it materialized a hundred yards away.

And then she was running, and the door was opening, and he was there, and he was real, and he was solid, and he flung his arms out and caught her as she raced to him, and then he held onto her, clinging to her as much as she clung to him, her face buried in his neck, his buried in her hair, and she sobbed, and he sobbed, and they clung together.

After several minutes, they finally calmed down enough that they could begin to speak, and he looked in her eyes, and he whispered, "I was going to say, I love you."

And she hit him.

"Ow! What was that for?!" he said, releasing her and rubbing his shoulder where she'd punched him.

"You told me I was never going to see you again! You said it! And now here you are, five minutes later!" she yelled, looking very much like her mother's daughter.

"It's been ten years, Rose," he said quietly, looking at her. "It's been ten years since you were trapped in this universe."

"Oh, Gawd…" she moaned, wrapping her arms around him again. "I'm sorry, but how did you…?"

He looked down at her. "I never gave up. I kept looking for a way through, hoping there was some way I could do it without ripping a hole in the universes.

"Finally, I found one. There was a red giant going into supernova not too far from a black hole. When it threw off the gases, the black hole attracted them, and for just a split second, the rift opened up. When the next wave of gases hit it, I joined them, and I made it. Landed three hundred years ago, managed to repair the TARDIS just enough to get me here."

Rose realized what he was saying. "You could have been killed!" she said, hitting him again.

He looked at her. "It was worth it," he said simply.

"So…wait…" she said, thinking of what he'd just told her. "Does that mean you're trapped here?"

He nodded. "It does."

"What do you mean, repair the TARDIS?" she asked.

He grinned ruefully. "Well, let's just say that being sucked into a black hole with the remnants of a supernova wasn't exactly healthy for it."

She sighed, and buried her face into his chest again. "Ten years?" she said, the sound muffled.

"Ten years."

"All by yourself?"

"Not entirely. I ran into a few people, completely by accident. But there was never anyone like you, Rose Tyler. That's why I spent all this time searching for a way to get to you. It was you who kept me going, you who kept me fighting," he told her, pulling her chin up to look at her. "I was never alone, because I always had the thought of you."

She sniffed. "So what now?"

"That's up to you. The TARDIS is going to need some repairs, though, I don't think she'll get very far as she is."

"In that case," Rose said, slipping her hand in his, "let's go home."

A/N: Wow. Way longer than I intended it. But it turned out all right, I'm pleased. Please review, because reviews make my life happy, and they help give me ideas, and ideas equal stories!


	2. Reunion

Life After Death; Chapter 2

Reunion

By Kate Carter

Well, it was intended to be a one shot, but I got several requests for more, and I was in a good mood, so maybe I'll turn this into a longer story. I've got enough planned out for the next three or four chapters (I think) but if anyone has any ideas (especially regarding adventures they could pursue in the new universe) please let me know.

They hired a van to transport the TARDIS in; the trip through the black hole and into the alternate universe had damaged it enough that it was a miracle it was able to make the short flight to the right time. It certainly wouldn't be transporting anyone anywhere anytime soon.

Pete drove the Jeep, and Mickey drove the van with the TARDIS. Rose and the Doctor rode in the Jeep with Pete, while Jackie rode with Mickey "to keep him company." Rose had a suspicion it was also so they could pull over when necessary; Jackie had been prone to morning sickness.

It was a four-day drive back, and Rose refused to let the Doctor out of her sight for even a second. Her hand was constantly entwined in his, her head on his shoulder whenever possible. Mickey had to avoid a sigh when he saw this; while he was glad the Doctor was back – he wanted Rose to be happy, and he liked the chap well enough – he'd still had just a tiny fancy that he might be able to get back with Rose. This presented a slight problem when it came to using toilets and showering; the first night, when they got to a hotel, Rose took a good forty-five minutes in the shower because she kept jumping out every few minutes to put her head out the door and ensure that the Doctor was still there.

After the Doctor had a chance to clean up (even Time Lords appreciate a nice shower; the Doctor was particularly fond of bubble baths, a fact he never admitted), he came out and sat down on the bed next to Rose, who was still busy with brushing her hair out. Finished, she nestled her head onto his shoulder again and her hand found his. He pulled her onto his lap instead.

This was new, but she didn't complain. He held her close to him. "Rose Tyler," he whispered into her ear, "I've missed you every day of the last ten years, two months, and sixteen days."

She smiled a little. "And I've missed you every day for the last hundred and ninety-three days," she said.

"And you know what I thought of for the last ten years, two months, and sixteen days? What I thought of every day?" he said softly.

"What did you think of?" she said equally softly, her heart beating faster.

"I thought of this," he said, and he kissed her. Each of the few times they'd kissed before, it had been wonderful. But this…this was extraordinary. This was mind-blowing.

He continued to kiss her as he laid her down on the bed. And Rose's hair got fairly messy all over again.

They laid on the bed, his arms wrapped around her, as she listened to the beat of his hearts. She'd never felt so content.

"When are you going to leave me?" he asked her softly, already knowing the answer.

She kissed him again. "Never."

And they knew it was true.

A/N: All right, all right, I just did the one thing I'd swore never to do again…I made it a chaptered story. Worse than that, I made it a chapter story with no foreseeable ending.

YA SEE WHAT YA MADE ME DO?! Last time I did a chapter story I about killed myself, I got so frustrated with it.

So, let me make it clear right now; I will continue to write for this whenever I have an idea/spare time. Which isn't going to be every day, necessarily, I'm a college student with a very busy schedule, and writing usually means I'm up late and depriving myself of sleep. And, I also have an idea for another story that will also be multiple chapters. With any luck, between the two you should get something every day…but that's also because I LOVE reviews (I'm one of those people who work really well on compliments) and they make me happy. So, it's selfish reasoning, really.


	3. Repairs

Life After Death

Chapter 3; Repairs

By Kate Carter

Reasons I have been so long in updating this…

Loads of homework

Moving to a new room

Mysterious sickness that caused me to have horrendous stomach cramps and a really high fever (some sort of food poisoning, I think…it was very unpleasant, but gave me an idea for a story, so I consider it a good thing)

No ideas!!!! (well, not for this story anyway

The easiest thing to do if you like reading what I've been putting out is to add me on Author Alert! (and thanks to those who have already, I feel so honored!) I've got…um, three different "Doctor Who" ideas (and I hope one of those doesn't turn out as completely stupid as I'm afraid it might!) and a "Stargate: Atantis" one currently stuffed somewhere in the file cabinets of my mind.

Eventually, Rose came to accept that the Doctor was back, he was real, and he wasn't going anywhere, and she was all right with letting him out of her sight. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about him. Apparently, he was going to make up for having not seen her in the last ten years. Understandable, really, but she didn't quite understand why she had to be "helping" him repair the TARDIS.

"Rose, can you hand me the…" He poked his head out from under the console of the TARDIS, running his fingers through his hair impatiently as he tried to remember the name of the tool he wanted. Mechanical skills still weren't high on his list of priorities. "The, er, whatchacallit."

Rose gazed blankly at the assortment of tools, and finally picked one at random. He glanced at it and shook his head.

"No, no, that's the, er, whatsit. I mean the whatchacallit, you know, with the…and the…" He gestured vaguely as words failed him.

Ah. The whatchacallit. Seemed to be a cross between an electric drill and a hammer, with what seemed to be radio controls on the side. Rose handed it to him and he disappeared back under the console.

After another forty-five minutes, during which time he alternately asked Rose for more vague items, shouted at the TARDIS, and implored the TARDIS, he finally jumped out from under the console, twiddled with a few knobs, and stood back, hands jammed into his pockets with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well, that's that," he finally said, turning to Rose. "Have you got a spare bedroom?"

She hadn't been anticipating that question. "Yes," she said, eyes narrowing quizzically. "What d'ya want a spare bedroom for?"

He ignored her question. "Still a rift in Cardiff, isn't there?"

"Yes…" said Rose, unsure of where this was going.

"Good. We'll need to hire a van, move the TARDIS there, and let her charge back up. Should only take six months or so."

"Six months?!" Rose asked, incredulous. "You're all right with not doing anything for six months?"

"Well, it's not my first choice," the Doctor drawled. "However, given the choices – which, by the way, are recharge for six months or don't go anywhere at all, ever – it seems to be the best option." He grinned cheekily at her. "Besides, aren't you going to be a big sister in about six months?"

She'd nearly forgotten. "All right then, six months, you're just going to let the TARDIS sit in the middle of Cardiff? What about Torchwood? They're not going to just leave it alone."

"Ah. I've picked up a few neat little tricks, however!" he said proudly, grabbing her hand and pulling her over to a section of the console. "This," he said, pointing at a big black button, "is a cloaking mechanism. Runs on solar power. Picked it up in the year 315,689. Rather handy, it's saved me a couple of times. I was fairly irritated when Riley tried to turn it on when we were avoiding the Merloxians, and it almost blew out all the power we had, but aside from that, it's been wonderful."

"Riley? The Merloxians? Who're they?" Rose asked, curious.

"Oh, well, Riley was the….eighth? I think eighth companion I had. The Merloxians were a lovely group of land-dwelling giant squid, who considered only those who could breathe underwater as well as on land to be worth living. They were a little irritated that we weren't willing to go through their ultimate test."

"Ah," Rose said, digesting this fact. She felt a bit of a flare of jealousy that this mysterious Riley – not to mention the other companions the Doctor had – had been able to experience these things, and not her.

But, she vowed mentally to herself, it was all right now. From now on, the Doctor was going to have her, and her only.

"What other adventures have you had?" she asked him. Perhaps he heard the note of jealousy, or wistfulness, or whatever it was she had in her voice. But he squeezed her hand and then put an arm around her shoulder.

"Actually, along those lines, I've got something to show you," he said, and he pulled her off into the depths of the TARDIS.

A/N: You should adore me. I felt so bad that I hadn't updated this in so long, I did it even though it's nearly one in the morning, and tomorrow kicks off midterms week for me. So show me how much you love me and leave a review. Or add this to Favorite Stories. Or add me to Favorite Author. Or add this to Story Alert. Or add me to Author Alert. If you really want to show me some love, do all of those.


	4. The Doctor's Diary

Life After Death

Chapter 4; The Doctor's Diary

(slight spoiler for "The Impossible Planet")

The Doctor pulled Rose along to her old room. She gasped as she entered. It was exactly as she had left it, all those years ago in his time.

"You kept it like this?" she asked in disbelief.

The Doctor suddenly looked somewhat uncomfortable. "Well, I, er…I just couldn't bring myself to do anything else with it."

He pulled her along to the bed. There were books sitting on it, three of them, all several inches thick. He sat down and patted the bed beside him, indicating that she should to. She did, and he picked up one of the books.

"When we were separated," he said slowly, running his hand over the leather cover and not looking at her, "I was as depressed as I'd ever been. Every time I thought I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, I thought it was you. Every time I landed somewhere, I wanted to laugh with you about it. And every time, you weren't there." His voice was heavy with remembered pain.

Rose's breath caught in her throat. "Doctor," she said, but he shook his head quickly, and she stayed silent. He finally looked up at her.

"I began writing to you. I knew that there was virtually no chance I'd ever see you again, but I kept hoping I'd find a way, and that made it more painful than if I'd known it was entirely impossible, because the hope made me want to keep living, but at the same time, it gave me horrendous pain." His eyes darkened. "Over nine hundred years old, and the only other time I've ever felt anything close to that was after the Time War." He glanced back down at the book, and then handed it to her. "Here," he said. "Volume one."

Rose took the heavy book from him. She opened it up and began to flip through it. It was page after page of paper, all of them covered in the Doctor's thin scrawl. The first few pages had slightly blurred portions that she suspected were due to tear marks. In amazement, she looked at the Doctor. "How much did you write?" she asked.

"After every new adventure," he said, glancing at the paper. "And sometimes, just because I was missing you."

"And you did this for ten years?" Rose asked in disbelief.

He nodded. "Because, in the back of my mind, I knew I'd find you again, someday, and when I did, I wanted you to know that I hadn't forgotten you, not a bit."

Rose hugged him, and he buried his face into her neck. "I knew you wouldn't," she said softly. "You loved me enough to use a supernova to say goodbye."

She pulled back and looked at him. "And I'm not goin' anywhere, yeah?" she said softly, smiling at him. "I'm gonna stay with you forever."

He pulled her into his lap, and she came without protest, laying her head on his shoulder. They stayed that way for several minutes, with him breathing in the gentle scent of her hair, of her, of Rose, his Rose, his Rose who he had gotten back.

"So," he said finally, breaking the silence. "I know I said I didn't want a mortgage, but what about a lease?"

She lifted her head up and looked at him. "A lease?" she asked.

"Well, as much as I like your family, I don't think I want to be trapped in the same house with a raging-hormone Jackie Tyler for six months, so I was thinking, maybe I could get a flat. And maybe," he said cautiously, almost hesitantly, "I don't know, if you want to, we could, I suppose, share it?"

She kissed him then, and when they broke apart, he gasped, "So I take it you like that idea, then?"

She kissed him again. "Yes," she said when she pulled away this time. She grinned. "I want to see how well you do domestic."


	5. The Doctor Gets A Job

Life After Death

Chapter 5: The Doctor Gets A Job

A/N: I apologize for the length of time it's taken me to get another chapter up, but I've been home on Thanksgiving break and my dad yells at me almost every time he sees me online. It means I generally resort to getting online fairly late at night (which is just wonderful…not). Seriously…you'd think I was still a kid. Oh well. More should be coming soon, I have a general idea where I want this to go for the next couple of chapters.

It didn't take long for the Doctor to get settled into the life he would be having for the next six months. The TARDIS was safely camouflaged in Cardiff; a flat was leased; and within two weeks of his arrival, he and Rose were living just a few blocks away from the Tyler residence. Much to his dismay, Rose was the main breadwinner, continuing to work at Torchwood. The well-placed investments he'd had before didn't exist here, which was a shame; between the various technology investments alone, he had enough money to live five or six human lifetimes in complete comfort. It paid off to know exactly when to invest in IBM, Microsoft, and Google.

He amused himself with walking around the area for the first few days. There was a library not far from the flat, and he took the opportunity to read up on the history of the alternate Earth, finding out where it differed. Apparently, the helicopter had never really taken off (no pun intended), and the Hindenburg hadn't crashed, thus explaining the presence of zeppelins everywhere.

Within a week, this grew tiresome, and he took to tinkering with the plumbing and electric in the flat, trying to "improve" them. Nine days after they had moved in, Rose arrived home to find quite a lot of excessive moisture all over the kitchen floor, and a soaking wet, very guilty looking Time Lord throwing all the towels he could find on it.

"Doctor…" Rose groaned. She dropped wearily onto the couch. It had been a long day, and she had been hoping to come home to someplace that, at the very least, was dry.

"Sorry," started the Doctor guiltily, but Rose cut him off. She sighed. "Come on. We're going to Mum and Dad's for dinner."

They ate dinner with Pete and Jackie, and after dinner, Pete and Rose slipped off to Pete's office, leaving the Doctor alone with Jackie. It was the longest fifteen minutes of his life, and in over 900 years, he'd experienced his fair share of long fifteen minutes..es…

Finally, after sitting on the couch opposite Jackie and attempting to make polite small talk with her while hoping she didn't decide to kill him (Jackie Tyler and hormones were not a good mix) for what seemed like an eternity, Rose and Pete came back. Rose slipped onto the couch beside him and curled up next to him, her head on his shoulder.

Pete took the lead in a conversation, commenting on various things and gradually working the subject over to Torchwood. "Elizabeth Patton's going on maternity leave next week," he said, shaking his head. "I don't know what I'm going to do without her, she's one of the best people in the alien technology department. She's got a real knack for it. I was wondering if you might be willing to step in for a few months, Doctor?"

The Doctor laughed. "You're so obvious," he said, shaking his head.

Pete gave a slightly embarrassed smile. "Well, Rose talked me into it. Not that I took much convincing, mind you. I really could use some help in the next few months, and who would be better than an actual alien?"

The Doctor was silent for a minute. Finally, he sighed. "Pete, I appreciate the offer, but I have to admit I'm a little worried about it."

"Why don't you try it?" Pete asked. "I could really use you, and you're welcome to leave at any time. You'll be given the run of the place."

The Doctor was silent for another moment. Finally, he nodded his head. "All right."

BLURB: I'm starting a DW bulletin board that's going to be primarily Doctor/Rose oriented. I'm planning to include space for pretty much everything. If you would be interested in joining this board, or would have suggestions for what you would like to see, please review this and mention it in your review!


	6. Impossibilities

Life After Death

Chapter 6: Impossibilities

Two months after his return, six weeks after he and Rose had moved into their flat, and a little over a month since he'd started working at Torchwood, the Doctor's life had settled into a nice display of domesticity.

He was sleeping more than ever, but it was still much less than normal by human standards. He'd wake Rose up with tea and breakfast, and the two of them would eat together and talk. After that, they'd get dressed and go to Torchwood. They'd ride up the lift together, and he'd give her a kiss when it stopped at the eighteenth floor and she got off. He'd continue up to the twenty-fourth floor and go to his own lab. She would usually come to get him for lunch, since he'd be engrossed in tinkering with some alien toy, and together they'd walk over to their favorite café on the corner, a place that served soups, salads, wraps, sandwiches, and was conveniently located next door to the best chippy in town. They'd eat together, occasionally joined by Pete, Mickey, or some of their other co-workers, and then they'd walk back to work hand-in-hand. Occasionally, they'd run, just for the fun of it. Another kiss as she left the lift, work for a few hours, go home, cook dinner, perhaps go to visit Pete and Jackie or Mickey.

It all changed on 23 May.

It was 1:30 in the afternoon, and he was still basking in the glow of the smile she had sent him as the door to the lift had closed, the one that was "his" smile, that he was the only person lucky enough to receive. He was going through a crate of alien artifacts (most of which were preschool toys, although he did find a nice piece quite similar to an electric cattle prod) when the building's intercom sounded.

He wasn't alarmed at first; there were weekly – sometimes twice weekly – drills intended to keep everyone prepared in case of an emergency. But then came the announcement.

"Medical team to level 18, section delta, possible fatalities, this is not a drill."

He barely heard as the announcement repeated. The world around him seemed to stop. Rose. That was the section Rose worked in.

…_possible fatalities…_

Rose!

He ran to the lift, then changed his mind. It was too slow, all too slow, he couldn't get to her fast enough! He went to the stairs instead, almost flying down them, seeming to cover an entire flight in only a few steps. He burst onto the level and raced down to Rose's lab. The smell of an explosion hung in the air. Burnt electronics, charred flesh.

The medical personnel were scattered around the room, tending victims. One was bent over Rose. As he watched, the woman slowly stood up and shook her head.

"Noooooooo!!!" he screamed. Ten years, ten years hoping, and looking, and trying to get her back, and he'd only been given two months?! He flung himself at her, gently scooping her battered, burnt body in his arms, clutching her to his chest as he sat on the floor.

"No…Rose…my Rose…"

TBC

A/N: DA DA DEEE DUMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!

I didn't leave the last one as a cliffhanger. So I had to leave this one as one. Sorry (well, no, not really).

Also, the new bulletin board is officially launched. It's called "The Doctor and His Rose" and you can find it at http://www.doctorandrose(dot)proboards78(dot)com.

I'll try to get the next part out soon…thank you to the fifteen people who've put this on their Favorite Stories list, and the twenty-five who've added it to Story Alerts! You make me so proud!!!!


	7. Impossibilities, Part 2

Life After Death

Chapter 7: Impossibilities, Part 2

By Kate Carter

A/N: All right…you have NO IDEA how hard I laughed at some of the reviews I've gotten. People were horrendously upset that I killed Rose. I can't really blame you, I'd be upset in your place too. But come on guys…do you really think I'd make her stay dead?! The story's called "Life After Death" (true, in this case it's more of a coincidence, but still…)! Cruel, yes, but it's just so funny to see it from the author's perspective.

The Doctor sobbed as he held Rose's broken body in his arms. He felt a hand grip his shoulder. "Rose!" Pete whispered hoarsely, falling to his knees beside the Doctor.

The Doctor turned his tearstained face towards Pete. "She's gone," he whispered brokenly. "She's gone. I just got her back and she's gone."

Tears were streaming down Pete's face as well. "How am I going to tell Jackie? It's going to break her heart," he said.

"Rose!" Mickey was running towards them now. "No…" he whispered in disbelief, dropping down to join the other two men and Rose's crumpled body, still being held by the Doctor. "No. She can't be. Not after all she's gone through," he said, his eyes wide. He stroked her arm tenderly. "Oh Rose," he said sadly as he also began to cry.

Suddenly, Rose gasped.

In his shock, the Doctor nearly dropped her. Surely that couldn't have happened? But as he watched, her eyes flickered open. "Owww," she groaned. "What just happened?" She stared in confusion at the three men. "Have you been crying?" she asked incredulously.

The three men stared at her in open-mouthed confusion. Finally, after he'd gaped like a fish for a moment, Mickey was able to stammer out, "B-b-but you were dead, Rose!"

"What?" Rose said tiredly, snuggling into the Doctor a bit more. "That doesn't make any sense, Mick."

"Yes…it does, actually," said the Doctor slowly. "It's the same thing that happened to Jack."

He felt Rose stiffen. "Jack?!" she said. "What happened to Jack?"

"Oh…haven't mentioned that, have I? Haven't you read that in my journal yet?" the Doctor asked.

"I've only made it to the Daleks in Manhattan…we've been busy, remember?" she said, her cheeks flushing slightly. The Doctor flushed too as he remembered exactly how busy they'd been.

"Well, it seems that Jack…can't die," he explained.

"What? Why didn't he tell us that when we met him? We wouldn't have left him behind on the Game Station," Rose said.

The Doctor sighed. He'd known it wouldn't be easy. "No, Rose. When he was with us, he was just as mortal as you and I were. But he was killed, and you resurrected him."

"I did?" she said, her eyes widening. "I don't remember that…actually, I don't remember much of that at all," she added thoughtfully.

"You did. You put just a very little bit of the Time Vortex into him, just enough to make sure he couldn't died for as long as it was in him," said the Doctor. He sighed. "And I think you must have managed the same thing for yourself."

"What?" Rose asked blankly. "You mean I have a bit of the Time Vortex and now I can't die?"

"Exactly," said the Doctor. "I'll have to do some tests to see, but it won't be until we can get back to the TARDIS, although I'm fairly positive that's what's happened."

…_she was standing there, all light and sound and fury, and he could feel it radiating from her, and he could feel her love too, love for him, and it stunned him, and amazed him, more than anything else had in his nine hundred years of existence…_

…_and then he could hear her whimpering, in the back of her mind, as the Time Vortex possessed her, body and soul and mind and heart and spirit all merged, and she was Rose, and she was Time, and she was neither, and she was both, and she was terrible, and she was wonderful, and she was dying…_

…_and he kissed her, and let his love for her overwhelm her just as her love had overwhelmed him, and she'd melted in his arms, and for just a second, she was not Time, she was Rose, she was the simple human girl who he had learned to love with an intensity that had surprised him, and she was kissing him back…_

…_and then it burned, and he transferred it back to the TARDIS, back where it belonged, and he was empty, and she was cleansed, and they went back to the TARDIS…_

…_and then every cell in his body screamed…_

…_and he'd regenerated…_

…_and things went wrong, horribly wrong, and he had no idea why, had no idea there was a trace of the Time Vortex still within him, trying to fight to keep his body as it was, to keep him alive, but regeneration overwhelmed it, and it had fought, and it was over, and the shred of Vortex he wasn't even aware of had come to accept it, and rested in the back of his mind, and he wasn't even aware of it…_

The Doctor gasped as the truth hit him.

Jack couldn't die.

Rose couldn't die.

He couldn't die.

It was impossible.

And yet, it was there.


	8. Confirmed

Life After Death

Chapter 8: Confirmed

Warning: Slight LotTL spoiler

The Doctor sighed once again as he looked at the test results. Everything was pointing to the same answer, and he wasn't sure he liked it.

The TARDIS was still "charging" but they'd taken the train to Cardiff so that he could use the TARDIS's computer to solve this…dilemma? He wasn't really sure what the right word for it was. He, the 910 year old Time Lord, who knew hundreds of languages and had the ability to talk the ear off the most horrendous despot…was speechless.

Rose came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, perching her chin on his shoulder to look at the screen. "So what's it mean?" she asked after a moment of trying to decipher the language and failing.

"It means," the Doctor said heavily, "that the two of us are immortal."

She squeezed him. "That's good, yeah?"

He sighed and turned to her, wrapping his arms around her. "Yes, and no," he said, sighing yet again. "On one hand, it means that we don't ever have to worry about one of us dying." He paused to consider this. "Well, we do, but we'll come back," he said offhandedly.

Rose was watching him. "And?"

"Well…you remember the Face of Boe?" the Doctor asked.

"How could I forget him?" Rose smiled fondly. "He was a part of our first official adventure in both your bodies."

"Blimey, you're right," the Doctor said, scratching his head. "I'd never thought about that!"

"Anyway…the Face of Boe?" Rose prompted.

"Well, he turned out to be someone we both knew…the Face of Boe is, apparently, Jack."

"Jack?!" Rose stared at him in amazement. "How is that? Last time I saw him, Jack wasn't a six foot tall head. And from what you said, last time you saw him he wasn't either."

"Ah, but when you factor in millions of years…" the Doctor shook his head. "Anyway, I don't think we're really immortal. I just think we're going to be around this universe for a very long time."

"So what now?" Rose asked, still holding onto him.

The Doctor leaned over and whispered something in her ear that made her squeal. She looked up at him with wide eyes before grinning.

"I knew you were brilliant!" she said, laughing.

"Aren't I always?" he smirked, before she drug him from the room.

A/N: Oh…that was rubbish. I'm sorry. But I was just trying to get some sort of update to this.

New Year's Resolution; write something every day. And since I'm up at 6:45, eating breakfast by 7:20, and haven't any classes until 9:30 or 10, I've got some time to do it in.

Now, Rose's question about what next was really one for all the readers too. I've had about 25 people make this a favorite story, and about 35 have it on Story Alert, which absolutely AMAZES me. I've NEVER had this sort of response to any story (granted, I usually do one shots). But I'm feeling a little like I'm floundering around here, so what do you want to see? NewDrWhoFan suggested they revisit some planets they've been to (it's the parallel universe, after all!), so which planets/times were you particularly fond of? What do you think may have changed in the other universe? Perhaps Elvis is nothing more than a nightclub singer! Where do you want to see Rose and the Doctor go on a personal level? I've had a lot of questions about "are they going to get married"; what do you think?

I live to please my readers, so if you have any ideas about where you want this story to go, leave a review and let me know.


	9. Plans

Life After Death

Chapter 9: Plans

By Kate Carter

A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of those who've added this story to their favorites and continued looking for an update! I tried to write this chapter several times and I just wound up getting stuck. I think the story will progress some more from now on.

The ride back to London was a quiet one. Since Rose had never learned how to drive (not unusual, for someone raised in London), and the Doctor hadn't driven a car in "at least four…maybe five, regenerations," they'd taken the train to Cardiff. After they'd left the TARDIS, Rose had grown silent and pensive.

"What's the matter?" the Doctor asked her as she curled into him as the train left. It was the latest train, and they were virtually the only passengers, except for an old woman who was already snoring, and a tired looking businessman who was busy reading papers.

Rose sighed. "I was just thinking," she said quietly. "If we're going to live forever, you and me, that means that I'm going to outlive everyone I know. Mum, Dad, Mickey, even the new baby. I'm going to see my own sibling be born and die." A tear slipped out of her eye and she roughly brushed it away.

The Doctor wrapped his arms around her. "Oh, Rose," he said, burrowing his face into her hair and speaking softly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. It's one of the most horrible things about having a long life."

She broke away from him and looked him straight in the face. "Oh, Doctor," she said, her voice full of compassion. "I'd forgotten, you've done it."

"Yes, I have." The Doctor closed his eyes, and their faces seemed to file past.

_Susan, Barbara, Ian, Vicki, Steven, Katarina, Dodo, Polly, Ben, Jamie, Victoria, Zoe, Liz, Jo, Sarah Jane, Harry, Leela, Romana, Adric, Tegan, Nyssa, Turlough, Peri, Mel, Ace…_

"It's hard, Rose. I'm not going to deny that. But we've got each other." He squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"Now," he said, his voice brighter, "what say we go somewhere? Oh, I know we're still stuck on Earth, but that doesn't mean we can't go someplace. A holiday would be just the thing, don't you think? Where would you want to go?"

Rose laughed. "Anywhere but Norway."

The Doctor's eyes softened as he looked at her, just looked, for a moment. Then they resumed sparkling as he thought out loud. "Someplace outside of Europe, don't you think?"

"A beach!" Rose said. The Doctor frowned. "A beach? But beaches are just so…common. You have one anywhere you have an ocean," he objected.

"How come we've never been to one, then?" Rose asked, trying not to smile.

"All right, beach it is! The Bahamas? Hawaii? South of France? Cancun? Antigua?" The Doctor thought for a moment. "I've heard Antigua's quite nice, actually, good place for honeymooners." He stopped awkwardly. Rose looked away and began twirling her hair in her fingers. Then she felt him take her hand. She turned, and saw him looking at her earnestly.

"Rose Tyler, will you marry me?" he asked.

"Wha?" she answered, caught off-guard. Somehow, whenever she'd dared to picture this moment, it wasn't like this. It wasn't on the train from Cardiff to London when they'd been discussing holiday plans. It was generally on an alien planet, or after a nice dinner, or during a quiet walk, or all three.

The Doctor blushed slightly and began stumbling over his words. "Well, I-I thought, since we're both going to be around a very long time, you might like to get married. Not that that's the only reason, but it's something I've been wanting to ask you, since we're sharing a flat, and I love you, and I-"

Rose placed her hand over his mouth and leaned over to whisper in his ear. "I love you too."

The Doctor's eyes widened, and she removed her hand. "Is that a yes?" he squeaked.

"No, that's a 'of course, and why did you take so long to ask me, silly Time Lord?'" Rose teased.

The Doctor's grin stretched across his whole face. "Oh Rose," he said happily. "My Rose."

"Oh Doctor," Rose replied, grinning as well, "my Doctor."

At that point, they started kissing, and they were snogging so hard that they never noticed the man in the business suit using a laptop and making notes.

"'_The Doctor'…Time Lord…immortal…_

"'_Rose'…also immortal…familiar, Torchwood?"_


End file.
